“Play is training for the unexpected.” Marc Bekoff As kids, play’s the thing. It is the essence of our lives, of living. Play is a way we explore and experience the world. As we get older, we become more cognizant of the seriousness of life, of things like responsibility and work. That inherent part of us seems to diminish, though more times than not it is really just suppressed. Eventually, the need to play, to unwind, to balance some of the seriousness with something that brings us joy and pleasure, our instinct to play needs to be heeded for, as Brian Sutton-Smith states, “the opposite of play is not work. It’s depression.” Life is full of the unexpected - some good, some not so much. We’re conditioned to look at play as frivolous, as childish, as irresponsible. And some methods of play might be those things. But what if we look at play as another essential part of our responsibility to our jobs, our families, and to ourselves? What if we look at it as training for the unexpected? As a way to stay sharp, to explore and experience the world, and ourselves. As a way to harness joy and pleasure and fun, to perpetuate the positive energy that comes from such things so we can carry that energy with us through the rest of our lives. It’s just a thought. But sometimes we forget, overlook, ignore the playfulness inside us, rather than tapping into it, using it, becoming more complete by listening to it, honoring it. Happy weekend, y’all. Keep after it!
Posted on: Sat, 26 Apr 2014 13:58:37 +0000
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